Location: WASHINGTON, Virginia

Mathew Buchanan's letter in 1826 nervously mentioned intelligence that Thomas Edmiston's heirs were trying to take over his land in Washington County, Virginia. He would not give up his land without a fight, but one small problem arose. He had no proof that he owned it. Buchanan found out that land dealings could get nasty. Initially, he had partnered with Thomas Edmiston to purchase a piece of...

Mathew Buchanan was broke. If he was unable to raise money soon, he would lose his Washington County, Virginia land in 1826. Buchanan was never officially part of the contract involved with the original purchase, but instead claimed to have paid a friend informally for a piece of the land. Unfortunately, he did not have the money to repurchase the land in a fully legal manner now that his original...